


Gold

by Kkas (ItaKoi)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-23
Updated: 2012-11-03
Packaged: 2017-11-17 16:29:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/553594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItaKoi/pseuds/Kkas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All it started off with was curiosity, then before he knew it, his feelings had gotten the better of him again, and Sasuke was everything and more to him. But his silence was anything but golden. AU Twoshot written on NaruSasu day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CloudNineKitty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloudNineKitty/gifts).



"I swear, I don't like, have a gun in my pocket to shoot you with or anything."

"…."

"I'm friendly…"

"…."

"You must be really shy…"  
"…."

"Or, just a bastard. You're probably a bastard." Naruto pursed his lips, considering whether he should continue to press the boy he sat next to for conversation, or actually listen to the lethargic lecture of one Kakashi Hatake; the teacher renown for showing less of his skin then any shame at fuelling his perverted habits around school. It wasn't as though he wanted a speech, or a declaration of love from the quiet blunette. He could accept that some people were just introverted, and he'd come across plenty of them in his time. But this guy hadn't said one word to him, and for reasons unbeknownst to even him, it pissed him off to no end. Naruto Uzumaki had yet to have a person he couldn't befriend, and this guy was not about to break his clean slate.

"Are you deaf?" He commented, waving a hand in the teen in question's general direction. Still, no words were received in return, but the boy in question frowned slightly in annoyance, a tiny cleft appearing in-between his brows to indicate that yes- he was aware of Naruto's actions, and they weren't appreciated.

Good progress.

"You should talk to me. I make good conversation. You might even fall for me." A blonde eyebrow hitched suggestively.

This time, he earned a middle finger, not merely tossed in his direction, but placed both carefully, nonchalantly, and most definitely for him. 'Fuck you.' It spelt out to him as plain as day. He wouldn't go  _that_  far for the time being, at least, but he took the hint, and with a faint sigh, he swivelled from the awkward position he had inclined himself to in order to talk to his neighbour, and turned his attention back to the droning of Mr Hatake's voice.

' _First thing's first.'_ He mused. ' _I have to find out his name…'_

* * *

"Sasuke Uchiha." Gaara supplied at the lunch table, picking at a salad with distaste. Temari's new health-food phase was affecting his whole household it seemed, and his carnivorous side was not happy.

"Yeah, but what else do you know?" The blonde whined, stealing a baby tomato from Gaara's lunch box to pinch between his fingers sourly. "I couldn't get a word out of him. In fact, I didn't see him speak to anyone. Even those three kids he hangs around with. He  _has_  to be a stuck up bastard." His head thumped dejectedly onto the table, his signature 'pity Naruto' pose that no one ever responded to rearing his head.

"If that's the case, then why are you spending so much energy on him?" the redhead finally gave up, punching his salad towards a still famished Chouji further down the table with a decidedly pointed look.

At the inquiry, Naruto paused, cerulean irises trailing over to a small table at the corner of the cafeteria, which situated the three people that almost acted as body guards; one girl with both feathery, and straight hair a scarlet deep enough to rival his mother's. His cousin; Karin Uzumaki. The other two he knew less about, but he could at least label them as Suigetsu and Juugo. The tall, ginger one was a gentle giant from what he'd seen, and in stark contrast, the albino boy was sharp, in both personality and tongue.

Then, there was Sasuke, whom he unconsciously stared at a little longer, despite the fact that he was aware of how many more details his mind was processing about him. The boy was about the same height as him, if not slightly taller, but he was built much less stocky, his torso much more lean and held with elegant posture that coordinated well with his previous silence. It gave him a majestic, enigmatic quality, and although he'd never made eye-contact with him, Naruto also knew that there were pretty, black-liquid eyes to match the naturally aero-dynamic points of his uncommon hair. He had a rather oriental look to him, his pale skin making him almost like a male Japanese porcelain doll, and a curious part of him wondered if his name suggested a family migration to England, just as his had.

It took him a moment to remember that he was most likely being watched as he ogled Sasuke bringing what appeared to be a Japanese rice ball to his pink lips to nibble on quietly, but eventually he did, tearing his eyes away as he considered the notion that maybe, Sasuke actually  _was_  foreign. Maybe he couldn't understand him. Growing up into a predominantly Japanese family, Naruto spoke the language. Perhaps that would be his next tactic. His spine tingled as his body finally registered Gaara's exasperated stare piercing into his back, question still unanswered. His lips quirked into a boastful beam. "Because Gaara, Naruto Uzumaki never loses."

"Idiot." He retorted, and then for the second time that day, he was given the silent treatment.

* * *

A day or so later, he approached Sasuke at the library, ignoring the withered glare thrown in his direction that indicated that he was not welcome. Tugging at a chair that screeched obnoxiously against the floor and echoed around the room loudly, a dozen other icy stares joined the first as he took a bashful seat. Sasuke rolled his eyes, returning to the chemistry book in front of him with no other visual commentary.

" _Hey, how is this?"_ Naruto started in his Japanese tongue. " _More comfortable for you? Sorry about before, man."_

The noiseless boy paused, raising an incredulous eyebrow at the blonde in front of him that most would probably read as 'Are you stupid?'

Naruto sighed loudly, throwing his hands up in the air with partially defeated irritation. "Hey, I'm trying really hard to make friends here, at least extend the hand out of common courtesy, you bastard!"

Having heard enough, Sasuke slammed his text book shut, pilling up his other anthologies and folders to his chest as he sent Naruto a livid glare, before exiting the library in a way that was both swift, yet undisruptive to others around him. Naruto was not oblivious to the tension in his shoulders, nor the force his legs exerted to reach the length of those strides, however. Guilt hovered above his head for a moment as he set back, knowing he'd blown yet another chance to tear down the invisible wall that stood between the two of them. He wondered bitterly what it stood for, and why his every attempt only made it worse, before he himself exited the vicinity, not much more for him in that place than the one who had left only moments before.

"Bitch." He sighed. To the left, a younger student shuffled past him, startled, and he hurried away in frustration, hands burrowing themselves in his pockets as they balled up into fists.

And so the game of cat and mouse had begun. Students had dubbed it 'the chase', and soon their endeavours were an integral part of their post 16 school lives over the span of the next two weeks. Naruto would hunt down Sasuke from wherever he hid, some people wondering how he was found, others assisting with amusement, and Sasuke would give his usual rude gesture or hateful stare, exiting the vicinity as quietly as he could to avoid the curious gazes of their peers. Things continued like this until finally, Karin brought it upon herself to interrupt one of his pursuits with a fist to Naruto's face.

He reeled back, able to stop himself from falling flat on his butt, but powerless to avoid the stares that came with the unusual act as Sasuke used the diversion to make a quick escape. He groaned. "What was that for, Karin!?"

"Oi. Blonde shit face." She addressed him by his pet name, hitching her glasses up in superiority as she loomed over his crouched over form, intimidating him despite how much taller he was at full height., lip twitching sadistically as she caught his un-masked shiver.

"K-karin, jeeze, what?" He pouted; rubbing his cheek so furiously no one could tell whether the resulting red mark was from his chafing, or a developing bruise.

"Stop your stalking, you useless piece of crap. He's not interested."

He grimaced. "Why, has he told you that? All I want is one little word from him." He confessed. Even if all he got from his cousin when in contact with her was a string of insults, they'd been a lot closer when they were younger, and he lowered his guard down around her out of nostalgic habit.

Karin paused, expression softening from its previous vicious appearance. There was nobody more protective than Karin when she made a bond, and that applied to both Sasuke and Naruto. She gave a pitying 'tut', raising a delicate eyebrow at him. "You're serious, aren't you?" After receiving a confirmative nod, she carried on. "Dumbass."

"W-what's so funny?" He faltered; uneasy at the familiar gaze se was giving him.

She uncrossed her arms, settling for placing a manicured hand on her hip instead. "He's a mute,  _dipshit._  He can't speak."

"…Oh."

* * *

For some reason, the knowledge that Sasuke couldn't talk to him, despite his itch for social activity, didn't deter him. Instead it made his mind stir. Had Sasuke always been mute? Did it bother him? What kinds of things did Sasuke think about? It began to keep him awake at night, to the extent that even  _Shino_ mentioned the temporary crow's feet underneath his eyes. He was long past the point of return; his thirst for Sasuke's friendship could only be quenched by him. He wasn't sure when he'd pushed himself so far, but turning back now would leave him unsatisfied for the rest of his life, and regret was not something he did. He had no more tricks up his sleeve, only honesty. He was well aware that once the initial amusement had settled down, people had grown annoyed with his actions, as they too learned of Sasuke's condition. But he couldn't care less how they judged him for wanting this. It had to be done.

Regardless of coming to this conclusion, it was a long time before he made anymore approaches towards the other boy. Winter passed quickly, and he was thrown into the stress of January exams too abruptly to have time to think of Sasuke in more than just a passing thought. They were over as soon as they came, however, and when they were, he found himself in the library again, Sasuke sitting in the same central seat as before, a small river of paper and books littered around him in a curious organized chaos. He approached deliberately, not wishing to alarm him like before, but with enough speed and purpose so that he would not be ignored as he came to talk.

He sat, this time raising the chair off of the ground slightly before he sat, so as not to have anybody but Sasuke raise their head. He did so, lips curling down immediately as he registered who had decided to breach his bubble of solitude. The stare was so disapproving Naruto almost wanted to put more distance between them.

"Hey." He murmured, licking his lips as he became aware of how much louder his voice seemed when no one else was speaking. His eyes wandered around, wondering if anyone else had raised their heads from studying, or found his voice intrusive. He settled as he noticed that nobody had.

Attention returning to Sasuke, he met his eyes, which captured him firmly, yet patiently. He was tensed as though ready to leave, should their conversation become a nuisance to him, but it was clear that he forced himself to stay, a lenient side rearing its head as an almost appreciative response to Naruto's consideration as he entered. He tilted his head, an offer for him to continue whatever it was he wanted to say.

Again, he faltered, almost prepared to not even get far enough to give his proposal. He shuffled around in his bag noisily, so excited that he once again forgot his surroundings, mumbling to himself while he looked for the object he wanted.

After a moment, he placed it onto the table with a clatter, another smaller piece tumbling out almost instantaneously. A tiny whiteboard accompanied by a black marker pen sat distastefully on the table, drawing the curious expression on Sasuke's face to one that flitted with recognition, and then displeasure as his lips parted slightly.

Naruto watched, almost fascinated with the display, before he collected himself. "Well, uh, yeah! I heard you can't speak and stuff….And I don't understand sign or anything, so this is my way of giving you a way to talk to me! Try it!" He finished with a grin.

There was a moment of silence that reeked with incredulity, before Sasuke threw his arm forward, snatching the board away from Naruto and popping the lid off with his teeth as he began writing with harsh strokes. Ever the fool, Naruto nodded encouragingly, seeing this as a good sign. At least until he read the message shoved in his face.

' _ **Go away.'**_  It read. He was too shell –shocked to move, and so Sasuke took his own advice, packed up, and left, much as in the same fashion as before. Although this time, Naruto noted, he was too agitated to be careful, and his bag got caught in the door on the way out, causing him to shuffle urgently as he prized it out of the door, sending it back with a loud 'smack'. He frowned at the board, pocketing it in his bag for later purposes. That thing was expensive.

The space he left from one confrontation to another had improved, but he hadn't stopped altogether. Every now and then he would shuffle the board in Sasuke's direction, a new found humility filling him that he hoped at least rubbed off more in his actions than it originally had. Sasuke would eye the board nastily each time, before turning back to the lecture, or whatever activity he engaged in at the moment.

One evening, as was the habit, he passed the library doors on his way home, contemplating whether to continue on, or search for the student he was sure would occupy the quiet habitat. Usually he would resist, telling himself that pushing himself onto Sasuke was getting nowhere, and he would try another time, when it was more appropriate. This time, he sat outside on the steps, head in his hands at relief that at least he had avoided his impulse to go in completely. Moments later, a figure exited, the noise enough for Naruto's ears to imagine them hesitating fleetingly about whether to avoid him, or pass him by. The figure sat by him, not close enough to touch, but so that the body warmth that radiated off of him from being indoors reached him, and made him turn to see his would-be companion.

Sasuke looked back at him decisively, a self-pitying squint that made Naruto imagine his thoughts for a moment barely hidden.

Shyly, Naruto reached into his bag, fingers brushing over the board as he ushered for him to take them, desperate for them to reach some neutral ground. Biting down on his lip, he took them with a gloved hand, uncapping it with his fingers, and hands running more smoothly and softly along the board to write what turned out to be a placid calligraphy, swirls and personal touches added as though he had all the time in the world. ' _You're persistent, aren't you?_ ' It said simply. Then he sighed, and Naruto's lips curled into an unconscious smile has he heard his first sound from Sasuke. So it was just the passing of breath from his lips; it was enough to knock the air out of his own lungs, as he began a discreet laugh. "Yeah, I am." He scratched the back of his head. "Treat me well, won't you?"

He rubbed out the former words on the board, this time writing quickly and shortly, before he stood, placing the items back in Naruto's hands and walking away with a sudden urgency. Fearing the worst, he stared down at the writings.  _'No.'_  It read. His breath left him again, but this time, the absent feeling was somewhat hollow.

He wasn't stupid enough to miss the hidden meanings behind it.

* * *

He was hard-pressed to find intervals of time in which Sasuke was alone. Karin and the others had begun to swarm him as all times, as though they were purposefully blocking any chance of him even getting a snippet of interaction from the Mute boy. Much to Gaara's annoyance, he was persuaded into being the catalyst, stalling Karin one Friday, the other two sports club. He caught Gaara's eye as he passed the classroom, throwing a thankful grin his way as he sped along the corridor, weaving in and out of whooping students, celebrating the end of another lagging week.

He found him by himself, no longer piled underneath the stagnated, dusty pile of literature he usually found him amongst, but by the huge, bay window that scaled most of the jade back wall of the second floor of their library. He was nestled amongst a pile of rich-coloured cushions; an orange one wedged in-between his chest and his thighs as he people-watched the cattle of loud students of whom could be heard from where they stood. Adventurously, he joined him, curling one leg under himself as he pressed his cheek against the cool glass and followed Sasuke's line of sight. It was cold, although the sun carried on valiantly and shined through the clouds for them, dappling through the trees and casting a pattern across his face. Naruto gave a quiet whisper, enough so that Sasuke's attention was drawn to him. His face wasn't defeated at all, but there was considerably less fight in it than before.

"I really am stubborn." He drummed his fingers against his knee, pushing not the little whiteboard across the spectrum of cushions, but a simple piece of note paper, crumpled, frayed, and hastily ripped out of one of his books. A moment later, he rolled a blunt pencil over to him too, chewing on his lip as he waited for a response. Sasuke took it between his fingers after a small pause, tapping the rubber-less the end of it against his knee to keep the blonde in suspense for a moment, before he scratched out a little  _'Idiotically'_  Onto it, a snort of air coming out of his nostrils before he turned his gaze back to the window.

He read it over, lips quirking into a smile, as he found himself thinking that less wasn't exactly as bad as it sounded. "Did it work, though?" He asked.

Shrugging, he wrote again.  _'You wouldn't have stopped, anyway…'_

He laughed. "Most people wouldn't mind having someone giving them a little attention, you know." He cocked his head to the side to read the response.

' _I'm not most people.'_

"I gathered that when I met you." He blinked, licking his lips as he realised the extent of what he meant by those words. It was more than him lacking a voice that drew him to him. At first, it had been the challenge, that he has risen to. It wasn't that there was a flirtatious wink, or a condescending smirk for him to pursue, like he normally would. It was the lack of it that made him turn his head. Like he had been robbed of it, just like his voice. But Sasuke wasn't unhappy; he didn't think that at all. It hadn't been directed towards him, but he'd seen genuine smiles come from his lips before. And the more he thought about it, the more he recognized that Sasuke kept him away because he'd grown up in a world in which he had fought to be understood, and so he'd automatically been labelled as his polar opposite because  _his_ voice spoke volumes, in contrast to Sasuke's muteness. But he could see him. He wanted to hear him, too. "I also gathered that you think I'm an idiot, too. No need to say it so much."

His lips curved as he received breathy non-laugh, accompanied with the light shaking of Sasuke's shoulders that finished as quickly as it came.  _True._

Sasuke changed position from where he smuggled into the cushion, lowering one leg to scrape across the floor quietly as he crossed his other underneath him, blinking as he noticed the sudden close-proximity between he and Naruto. Once again, their skin wasn't close enough to touch, but less than an inch segregated them. The blonde had settled for pressing his spine flush against the window, hitching his knees up to his chest and using ebony, silver -thread embroided cushion as a makeshift pillow. Suddenly, he found himself itching to close the distance and bump the toe of his obnoxiously orange converse against the tip of his knee.

"Is orange your favourite colour?" He asked, spotting Sasuke's dye of choice. There was a ferocious headshake and a show of tongue to show his distaste at the thought, and he inspected him curiously as he second-guessed his cushion, before deciding to keep it beside him anyway. "Then why…?"

"…." He tilted his head, before pressing his fingers to his forehead quickly and making a dispelling motion out of habit, then frowned as he noticed Naruto's oblivious countenance, electing to shrugging his shoulders with a sigh.

Throwing caution to the wind, he knocked Sasuke's knee gently with his foot, offering an apologetic smile. "You can call me an idiot every time I upset you…If you say you'll be my friend."

' _Fine fine.'_  He relented finally, returning the paper to him as he stretched his other leg down and also rest his back against the glass. Naruto could have sworn he saw a small pout as he shuffled closer, but if it he had, it had vanished within his next blink.

"You won't regret it, I promise." He chuckled, bumping their knees together playfully. To his surprise and pleasure, the kick was returned, albeit with his head facing in the other direction. The slight redness in the tip of his ears was a bit of a giveaway to his embarrassment, but he didn't comment.

Slowly, but surely two fell into some sort of loose friendship, not easy by any means. Some days Sasuke would be less tolerant of his company, and would refuse to write on the board, leaving him with only the weapons of studying his gestures and expressions as a means to understand him. He wouldn't recognize why they had regressed, but Naruto would smile, crack joke and laugh anyway, until Sasuke pinched his lips closed sharply to get him to shut up, and he knew that, perhaps he wasn't as mad as he seemed.

Their melded groups grew used to the interaction, divided between embarrassing Sasuke into admitting that he didn't hate Naruto as much as he pretended, and the others happy to humour him, despite catching the tiny smile hidden behind his palm every now and then. Naruto grew envious of watching Sasuke communicate with his friends, recognizing the gentle, lazy, yet sometimes aggressive gestures of his sign. It fascinated him to watch how much more open his face was as he made the little motions, eyes more alert and focused in his endeavour to make people understand. He watched the lips that had never sung, nor hummed, nor laughed, move to make the shapes of words they could never form, and often grew bitter and fearful that maybe, the two of them would never understand one another in the same way. He begged Karin to teach him sign, but she laughed him away, adamant that he wouldn't focus on  _her_  long enough to pick it up.

"You can barely understand things in Japanese or English, dipshit. What makes you think I'm patient enough to teach you sign?"

Still, their friendship carried on stumbling through their second year of school, and matured, and he was able to toss his inhibitions behind him and hold his head high with the place of Sasuke's unofficial best friend. Although it had taken a lot of persuading, Sasuke had taken him home to meet his family during one study date, and he had been pleasantly surprised to meet the colourful personalities that he had grown up with, in stark contrast to the way he'd imagined them all to be. The three other members of his family had an essence of stoicism to them which he had come to associate with their grace, but they were friendly and welcoming to him all in their own little way.

"Is this your boyfriend?" Itachi had asked bluntly upon coming home and finding the two in the kitchen one evening. Sasuke, who had been taking a sip of iced tea, had ended the conversation with a classically projectile spit across the room.

Fugaku had paused to stare at them in the hallway for a moment, eyes roaming indolently over Naruto in a way that made him want to stand up straighter as he caught the glint in his onyx iris, before nodding with a little grunt as he continued on to his study, lowering his chain glasses from their little nest in his bangs as though nothing has happened. A little whoosh of air could be heard from beside him, and he had considered himself home free.

But the greatest reception of the three came from his mother, of whom Naruto decided was a spitting image of the mute teenager; an embodiment of his gentle side. She ushered Sasuke out onto the porch with them to say goodbye, lending him a hug, and the gentle whisper of "Thank you." In his ear before she told him a little louder that he was welcome to come again, despite her son's protest.

Eventually, their final exam season came and went, and their finishing day of school came to pass. Students hugged and discussed future plans for the last time, exchanging last contact details and blubbering their 'farewell's and 'I love you's, and Naruto spotted Kiba towing a squirming Gaara into their click of friends as he howled 'We'll meet again' at the top of his lungs. Spotting a head of unruly black hair ducking for the exit, he followed, confident that he had plenty of means to contact the others whenever he pleased.

"Hey!" He called, trailing the blunette all the way to the gates, before he managed to tug him to a halt by the back of his shirt. He earned a tepid glare in response, but he was more than accustomed to it at this point. "Let me walk you home?" He asked out of habit, since Sasuke lived closer to the school grounds. He shook his head, breaking free from Naruto's grasp as he continued on. With a small frown, he took up the space beside him, although he didn't press him.

The first few steps together were laced with awkwardness, before Naruto began to consider the fact that yet another chapter of their life was over for good. He had been accepted into a few universities, and his parents were so ecstatic with his grades they offered to help him pay, even though he guiltily reclined the request. Excitedly, he began to tell Sasuke of his plans, knowing that he was being heard by the slight inclination of his head in his direction.

He paused as he noticed the heavy frown on Sasuke's lips, trembling under the weight of his discomfort. "Hey, what's up?"

After a shake of the head, signalling a reluctance to share with him, Naruto forced him to stop, tugging at his wrist. Sasuke eyed their interlocked hands wistfully for a moment, before snatching his away and facing Naruto with a resolute scowl.  _What?_

"I asked you what's wrong." He repeated.

Another shrug of the shoulders, and Naruto grimaced. "Don't be like that. Today is a good day, right?"

The lack of movement from Sasuke begged to differ, however.

Agitated at the absolute barren canvas of Sasuke's mind and body deep in thought, he shuffled forward, forcing a mechanically-operating Sasuke back and imposing himself into his personal space as he backed him into a redwood fence belonging to one of the houses behind them. He told himself it was only to ensure that he couldn't escape, but he knew that wasn't the case, pressing his body up against Sasuke's and feeling the warmth, and hard flesh of his chest, rising and falling slightly faster in alarm at this unspoken breach of their laws of contact. He bit down the excited sensation in his groin, trying to focus hard enough so that he could stare at Sasuke's pupils, lost amongst the sea of his similar coloured irises.

"What the hell is wrong, Sasu…?" His breath started as he caught the light blush sprinkling itself across those pale cheeks, accompanied by an awkward attempt to look anywhere but him. His lips trembled with nerves, and he could tell that Sasuke was dizzied enough by the close proximity to not have any strength to push him off, when he knew from experience just who was the stronger one in their relationship. He focused more on Sasuke's quivering lip. It bothered him, he decided. He wanted to kiss it off…

He leaned forward, head tilting slightly as he angled his lips to press against Sasuke's softly. The other stiffened, fingers coming up to press against his chest and push him off, before they wavered, desperately tangling themselves in the fabric of his shirt as he pressed his mouth forward. There was no open mouthed kissing, nor tongue. The ice had tumbled from beneath them suddenly and left them both frozen by their actions as they stared at each other. Naruto's eyelashes were a dark, golden blonde, framing expressive, cerulean eyes, and Sasuke's lips felt like rose petals, which surprised him, having seen them chapped and dry almost as many times as their ordinary appearance.

Ultimately, the kiss had to end, and Naruto pulled back to find Sasuke looking like a startled animal, eyes wide like a doe and bearing his reflection. He licked his lips, considering leaning in for a proper kiss, and forgetting what his previous motives had been, before he blinked, a heavy force knocking him to the ground as his ears registered the sound of frenzied footsteps. Running away, he realised.  _Sasuke's running away._  He coughed, the energy to chase abruptly leaving him. He'd done enough, for one day.

* * *

"What do you mean he's gone abroad?"

" _Exactly what I meant. I'm sorry Naruto…..Really. I know this isn't fair to you, but he made me promise not to say anything else."_

"…"

" _Naruto…?"_

"…Oh."

* * *

He leaned against the damp alley wall, making sure that he was still sheltered from the annoying drizzle of the constant late Summer rain, and burrowing his hands further into his black hoodie, a breath exhaling from his lips and creating a small cyclone of cigarette smoke.

"That's a dirty habit you picked up there, Naruto." The redhead ruminated, stepping fully from the buzz of the bowling-alley door and claiming a place beside him. He lolled his head towards him in response, blowing a deliberate puff of smoke in his direction, before deciding that such an action was too mean and wafting the smell away with his hand, and putting out the cancer stick with the aid of the chilled wall before pocketing it. Littering had never been his forte.

There was a comfortable silence between them. One that forgave all and took him back to their early days of friendship in which they had begun as enemies. It was becoming a recurring pattern in his life, he realised bitterly, that those he loved all started off hating him. Maybe decided to hate him longer and leave him without a word.

"You need to let go of this." Gaara stated.

"Let go of what?"

"You're not a fool, contrary to popular belief."

"I still don't follow…"

Gaara's eyes became colder, jaw set as he became more serious. "We know that you're going to look for him."

Naruto's body countered the change, his own restless glower coming into play as he sized the shorter redhead up. "You don't know anything, Gaara." Before he could reply, Naruto rubbed his hands against his face angrily, remorseful and fatigued from lack of sleep, chafing at the bruising bags under his eyes roughly. "I'm just sick of doing nothing, okay? Maybe like this, I can finally be distracted. But staying here is doing nothing for me."

Nothing was said in retort for a long time, the soft drizzle of rain picking up to a less aimless pace while Gaara waited for Naruto to settle himself without the aid of a cigarette- something he hadn't seen in a few months. "You're an idiot for falling for him."

"I'm not in love."

"You wouldn't act this way if you weren't. And look where it has you. After all, he was just the guy that never said a word to you."

"That's because he  _couldn't! He couldn't!"_  Naruto yelled, pressing his hands on either side of Gaara's head and shuddering with poorly concealed rage. Gaara blinked calmly at Naruto as he watched the quaking run up his shoulders, through his spine muscles, and ripple across his entire body as he lowered his head, eyes hidden behind his blonde bangs as he varied between whether the shaking was entirely anger-based, or the idiot was just cold. He had been out there much longer than a smoking break required. And there was nobody else around to be doing it with for social reasons. The wreck Naruto was in now was entirely his own. He couldn't even blame Sasuke, because the Uchiha had made it clear he hadn't wanted anything to do with him from the beginning, and stuck to it. He felt bad for letting it happen, but he wasn't Naruto's mother. And Naruto was too besotted to be convinced otherwise, anyway.

"Answer me this." His eyes Narrowed. "Would he have, if he could have?" He waited patiently for a desperate answer in defence, a sign that Naruto was at least loud enough to recover from this with his usual brave heart. But there was nothing…and his eyes were as blank as paper, at that moment.

He released himself from his hold, ducking out from under his arm, and returned to the warm, competitive ambience from inside, allowing him to dwell in his own sorrow. Naruto stared unrelentingly at the cold, clammy wall for a long time. The rain hastened once again, and sounds of cars driving by and a police siren in the distance littered his ears. After a moment, it stopped, arousing his awareness of the quiet hum of music from a nearby club in its wake, the sound of life going on, even though his had stopped. He pressed his head against the wall, then his body…Closing his eyes and fists tight, before he sobbed.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, just because you're a mute, doesn't mean you have to be such of a let-down." The guy sneered in the dim-lit dorm hallway, fingers swiping over his new bloodied, split lip as he sized Sasuke up. He waited mockingly for a reply, giving a triumphant smirk when all he received in return was the sound of heavy breathing and a murderous stare.

This was one of the moments he loathed his lack of voice the most. Leaving vile, tactless guys like them to think that they'd won, or that they were better, just because they had power over their vocal chords. If he had a sharp object on him, there would be nothing he would take greater pleasure in than cutting his tongue out and swiping the smug look off of his face. But he didn't, so he settled for lifting his quivering fist to the effeminate blonde man's face, hand drawing back at the last moment to be replaced by his leg, which jerked between his legs as hard as he could and sent him sprawling in pain immediately. With that, he stood and savoured his handiwork for a minute, before pegging it down the remaining distance to his own dorm, and not stopping until he was on his own bed and curled up in a loose ball and nestled amongst the folds of his navy sheets.

He watched his fist curl and uncurl in front of him in stagnated anger, teeth tearing into his lip as he tried to dispel the urge to punch something. He'd come to realise a long time ago that he wouldn't be taken seriously by most to begin with, and every time he started a new chapter of life, he would run into the same mindless people that were too ignorant to understand that he had no interest in playing the quiet doll that sat on the side to be patronised by them. He wasn't a fool, and he didn't need anyone to do anything for him, either. He was lucky enough to be blessed with Sai as a roommate; an apathetic artist who kept out of people's business most of the time and was good enough with his hands to have learnt sign by a whim when he was in his early teens. When the dark-haired man returned from his photography class, he gave him a fleeting look, but didn't comment, setting his camera down before heading to have a shower and pulling out his sketching utensils as he retreated to his own bed in silence.

He closed his eyes, relentless scratching against the paper luring him into a latent calm, before he finally gave in to the monotonous sound and fell asleep. He caught himself dreaming of the perfect friend; one who indulged in his secret need for sound, and solidity, and knew that it was okay not to tread lightly around him, and yet knew where the boundaries lay the majority of the time. A bitter reminder that none such a person had crossed his path in a long, long time.

* * *

"Good morning Sasuke." The rose-haired female smiled at him the same as she did every Philosophy class. He slid into the seat beside her, purely because she'd only follow him to wherever he chose otherwise if he didn't. Her persistent tendencies didn't always annoy him; after all, the ones that talked to him kept him from going crazy with loneliness. The slightly forged edge to the quirk in her lips made him think it was mostly out of pity, rather than attraction, though. Both knew there would be no dating involved in their loosely-defined friendship.

He sighed, fountain pen scratching aimlessly against the thin notebook paper that accompanied him to every philosophy lecture, and pitying those that had fallen asleep to the professor's talk of the 'Tabla rasa'. He wasn't bored, by any means. Since he was young he'd been fascinated with the mind, and its workings. Everything from the physical science side of it, to the other end of the spectrum that he chose to follow academically. Perhaps, he'd thought, he'd find the answer to why he was born with no voice. It hadn't played on his mind as much before he'd entered university, and yet these people almost seemed much more poison that the others. He missed Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo. The three were still undoubtedly his best friends, and he'd received a lot of anger from them as he told them he was leaving for Japan so unexpectedly. But family was more important to him, and he wasn't going to leave them behind as his father gained a promotion that had them moving back to their native country.

" _Tell that to him."_ A memory echoed in his mind.  _"You wouldn't be able to look at his face."_

He blinked, too lost in the haze of his thoughts to notice as a 3rd party slipped in beside their row of seats at the back of the lecture. He was vaguely aware of the way Sakura leaned around him curiously, trying to get a look at the other student, but she'd always been inquisitive, so he thought nothing of it and tried to turn back to the lecture, determined that one of the two of them had to get some notes. He flinched, blinking again as he noticed an explosion of orange in his peripheral vision. He'd seen worse; the amount of orange watered down with enough black to remind him of Halloween. His fists clenched slightly, unsure if he was daring enough to chance a glance to the bright-clad student, and kill the irrational hope that had flared within him that he couldn't quite place. But he wasn't a coward, so he did.

To right of him sat a recognizable blonde student, as tanned as ever, but jawline more pronounced than before and taut with a secret smile on his lips, although his eyes were only for the professor. He blinked stray blonde bangs from his eyes, during which Sasuke noted the familiar coloured irises, a shade he couldn't quite put a name to in his nostalgic stupor, despite all the details flooding his memory, and the golden, long lashes that fluttered slightly with every blink. He had never noticed him in the lecture before, but the strange whiskers he'd never asked about made it impossible for him to deny the identity of the person.

' _Fuck.'_  Was his next coherent thought, counting the seconds until Naruto would notice him. Or rather, notice that he'd noticed his presence. His eye twitched in annoyance at the fluctuating of emotion at two polar opposites. The fight side of him wanted to be caught staring, to see what he would do, and where Naruto's spontaneous nature would take them. The flight side of him wanted to run, or to hide. It couldn't be healthy to dig up old wounds like this from a part of his life he was long done with. The curdling of protest in his stomach spoke otherwise, and he inhaled through his nose more loudly than he intended to.

Bringing his eyes back to Naruto, he froze, caught hopelessly in excited cerulean staring meaningfully at him. He wouldn't be surprised if the idiot was using every muscle he had to prevent himself from bouncing, if the vast grin across his cheeks was any indication. Something about that managed to put a part of him to rest, and suddenly he didn't feel quite so nauseous. Until the look was reigned in and he returned his head to the front of the class, pointedly refusing to look back at him again for the remainder of the lesson. He almost wanted to tap him, and demand an explanation, but restrained himself, despite the itching in his fingers. When had he ever wanted to understand why that moron did the unexplainable things he did? He reprimanded himself. He struggled to overlook the long dormant part of his brain; the part that challenged him otherwise when he was in denial.

As the lesson drew to a close and students began to file out of the classroom and down the steps, the three stood, Sakura waiting for the two of them to move inquisitively, shamelessly raking her eyes over a nonchalant Naruto, before realising that they were waiting for her to disappear, and wiggling out of the tight space, Sasuke not oblivious to the slight brush of her hip against Naruto's thigh as he gave a tight swallow at the observation. He stared at Naruto for a moment, willing him to say something, anything at all, only for the blonde to follow after her, not sending him another glance. He grimaced to himself, confusion clouding his snarled thoughts. Was he not here to talk to him?

He followed aimlessly, falling into step beside Naruto casually, although his eyes watched the blonde carefully from the side. Naruto shifted slightly, sighing, but said nothing else. Sasuke paused as the two reached the centre of the campus grounds, Naruto veering to the left slightly, before pausing as though waiting for some kind of interference from the other. When he received nothing, he made a move to continue. Sasuke balked, so unsure of why getting him to talk suddenly seemed so imperative, before concluding that he couldn't let him leave. He tugged at Naruto's wrist, to which he immediately stopped, although he didn't turn around. His head rolled to the sky, before he pivoted languidly, as though Sasuke was some sort of nuisance, he couldn't help but thinking. His eyes tightened at the traitorous thought. He swallowed again, shaking his head for no other inkling of what to do, and hoping that Naruto could appreciate how confused his presence had made him. How long had Naruto been in Japan? How did they end up in the same place again after so long? Why was he looking at him like that? He was vaguely aware of his lips shaping the ghost syllables for 'what' and 'why', but he couldn't have cared less.

"Fate is funny, right? Digging up old shit and stuff." Naruto commented, lips quirking into a smile, but eyes much more icy than the warm, liquid-y appeal they had all those years ago. Naruto lowered his arm, having to tug it slightly from Sasuke's hold, before bringing it up to scratch at the back of his head. His fingers fumbled at his pockets, as though looking for something to soothe his fidgeting, before he fisted them and let them down as though he'd thought otherwise.

"You know, I was so excited to see you, but then I suddenly realised, 'so what'? What now? And yeah-probably nothing. I mean, you never really liked me all that much, right?" His lips curled up harder, so much that his smile looked almost painful. Sasuke signed nothing, eyes glued to the cruel monstrosity that haunted the lips that had once smiled so beautifully. Something inside him froze at its absence, and prevented him from addressing the rapidly declining situation accordingly. Naruto fidgeted a little longer, grumbling something about 'being all out', before raising his head.

"It was nice to see you, Sasuke." He murmured. Then he was walking away, and slipping through his fingers, and his mind was too overloaded with a mix of old sensations that were incompatible with all his new observations to add up to an understandable conclusion. And he didn't know why. But he did. Naruto had walked away himself, this time. And there was no way he could have stopped him, even if he had wanted to.

* * *

This time in his dorm, he lay on his back, fingers on his forehead and curled between his hastily combed-back fringe as he stared at the ceiling. Sai returned, offering a double-take in his direction as he noticed the poorly veiled distress. "What's eating you?" He asked, skipping his shower and opting for fumbling under his bed, plucking out a wooden model to fiddle with in his hands as he stared at the Mute indifferently, though invitingly. He had a strange smile, one with an edge of uncertainty to it. Memories of Naruto's forced smile made the bile rise in his throat as he turned to face Sai reluctantly, fingers ready to sign.

'I saw someone today.'

Sai cocked his head to the side. "We see people every day. This place is crawling with them."

'Yes. But…' His eyes strayed to the side, wary of whether he was able to admit the next piece of information to himself, let alone his roommate. His early actions had already made it clear that he couldn't ignore the reasoning behind them. 'Someone important.'

"Someone from the past…?" Sai straightened his head up; taking in Sasuke's positioning and having the model mimic it. "Interesting." He didn't elaborate, being a man of few words, and chose to get out his sketch book and a pencil. Sasuke knew that he had just become the subject of his next drawing, but he didn't mind. He wished he had something he could distract himself with, and was more jealous than irritated as he decided to stay in place an aid Sai with his art, mind left to wander as he listened to the scratching.

* * *

He bit his lip, middle finger caressing his laptop's touchpad indecisively as he listed the pros and cons of not only calling his brother, but during his work hours. He knew it wouldn't be an immediate trouble for Itachi at all; he was overprotective, and not above dropping his work load for his little brother at any time. But he hated the thought of abusing his overly generous behaviour, wrinkling his nose at the thought of how he'd caught him sleeping at his desk during the daytime, and gradually turning into an insomniac because he was too gentle to refuse people's wishes.

Ever since he'd left university and gotten his first ICT job, he'd noticed the decline in his sleeping hours, but being so driven to succeed, his motivation had paid off, and he'd gotten his dream job as a game designer, just in time to parallel his father's new job. Another reason that Sasuke wouldn't have missed coming to Japan for the world. Itachi's smile was definitely one of the better things in his life. He knew Itachi kept it well hidden, but he wasn't unaware of the guilt that he possessed for' tearing him away' from some of the best friends he'd ever had. The last thing he wanted to do was add fuel to the fire.

But Sai could only help so much, and there was really no one else who could ease his restless thoughts. So, with a defeated sigh, he brushed his fingers over the touchpad one more time, cursor rolling over  _'Nii san'_ , before  _video call_ , as he waited for the loud chiming ringing through his earphones to cease, and Itachi to accept Skype call.

As the chiming stopped, a clear picture came up, of a pleased, yet surprised looking male, with long, sleek hair slightly ruffled and draped over one shoulder, and warm, inky eyes staring up through the screen at him, although there were dark, tired wrinkles underneath to accompany the lines he'd had since he was very young, and his feminine lashes blinked to give a wistful glance down to the Starbucks coffee cup that was probably long empty. A pencil was hastily thrown behind his ear, and Sasuke couldn't be sure because of the dark, haziness of the room, and the quality of the webcam, but he was fairly certain that there were ink-marks on his cheek from laying on his work. He sighed; it was most likely that he'd woken him from a nap. He couldn't decide whether to feel guilty or not.

"It's rare for you to call me first, Sasuke. You really should answer our calls more." He chided, eyes scanning over him to take inventory on his health, while his hands tore at the lid of the empty coffee cup. A work colleague drifted onto the screen for a moment as 'Blue ridge Mountain' by the Fleet foxes started playing quietly on the radio in the background, and Itachi mentioned something about a caramel latte and an order of dango before they disappeared again. He gave a wry smile at the thought of them having to cater to his demonic sweet tooth.

He made sure that the majority of his upper-body would appear on webcam, before he signed back a reply with a raised eyebrow. 'I don't like disturbing your naps.'

"I wasn't napping."

'Liar.'

"Your words hurt me."

'What words?'

"Your gestures hurt even more."

A middle finger.

Itachi chuckled, resting his cheek against his hand as he made himself more comfortable in his seat. "Be glad I won't tell Mum and Dad about that. Really though, is something wrong?" His expression changed slightly, a solemn edge appearing as he stared straight into his webcam at Sasuke, who looked down ashamedly as he realised that perhaps the approach of ignoring his family wasn't exactly a good one if they thought he had to be in trouble before he would contact them. He gave a mental note to try and contact Itachi out of work hours more often, although he'd quickly hang up if the other looked as exhausted as he did at that moment.

He gnawed on his lip some more, shuffling his hands and lacing them together as he tried to piece together a way for him to explain the situation to his brother.

"It involves someone else, right? You look nervous."

He blinked, nodding reluctantly as he lowered his hands to the desk, trying to ignore the wondering gaze he was receiving from the other. 'I saw Naruto.'

The name drew his attention, eyes suddenly less-vacant and more alert as his eyebrows furrowed. "Naruto?" He asked in conformation. Occasionally, their connection would lag, despite the fact that they were quite capable of affording well-running technology, and so he had to be sure he hadn't seen him sign the wrong name accidentally.

Sasuke nodded in conformation, a frown boring into his lips at Itachi's immediate understanding of the situation from the name alone.

"….How was it?" He decided on after a moment, eyes narrowed analytically.

'I don't know...' He gestured, refusing to look directly at the webcam like Itachi often asked him to do when speaking, and fighting off the quivering in his lips that felt like a pout. Itachi's presence drew out the young boy in him through pure habit. Or perhaps it was the way his words soothed him exactly the same as they had when they were children, despite the fact that Itachi was in his mid-twenties already and he'd not long celebrated his twentieth.

"Now who's lying?" Itachi smiled dryly, twisting the cheap watch on his wrist to check the time. His eyes strayed over to the time on his own laptop, which read 1:06AM. Sasuke bit his lip again as he realised that with the tell-tale sign of his overtime, Itachi was probably weary of another deadline, and he was eating into his precious time. Beating around the bush was something neither had the time for, although his brother wouldn't be the first to verbally admit it.

'He's…mad. I think.' He admitted, tapping his fingers against the desk anxiously. When Itachi signalled that he wanted more than that, he raised his hands again, although they trembled. He frowned; trying to stop the irritating shaking that had begun too abruptly. 'He showed up in my lecture…But then he left.'

"Did he say anything to you?"

Sasuke's eyes stung for a moment. '…Nothing good.'

"And now you're worried you can't make it right?"

He stilled…It was just like all the fears he'd had about his voice manifesting into his worst nightmare; That someone close to him would stop being able to hear him. All the time he'd been absent, he'd persuaded himself that Naruto meant nothing to him. But the thought of Naruto becoming another meaningless figure amongst a sea of oblivious faces physically hurt him. His fingers clutched at his shirt, pulling in distress as he managed a nod. His eyes pricked again, but he forced the anguish back as best as he could.

"Sasuke." Itachi called.

He raised his head, wiping at an eye as Itachi beckoned him forward with two tell-tale fingers. Unable to refuse the offer, he exposed his forehead to the webcam, eyes watching the video image as Itachi pressed his fingers to the webcam with a fond smile on his face, holding them in place for a moment as a warmth settled between them with a wave of nostalgia. The smell of their mother's cooking, a flash of scraped knees, and tears being soother by his brother's words filling the room.

"Poke yourself." He obeyed, bringing two fingers to his forehead and pressing them there for the same duration as Itachi had, the sensation just shy of being perfect with the image in front of him. When the deed as done, he raised his head, lips curling in an unspoken thank you as he sat back in his seat.

"Don't worry,  _otoutou._  When you were together, he thought the world of you. I'm sure nothing has changed…I know…Even if you're too stubborn to admit it, you feel the same. I'm sorry you two were pulled away from each other the way you were."

Sasuke shook his head, hearing the implied self-blame that was left unsaid, but known, as usual.

"But this time, instead of him fighting for your attention, maybe it's your turn."

He scowled bitterly, fingers locking around his throat as he absently massaged it.

Itachi shook his finger at him, once again scolding. "You've never needed your voice to make the friends you have before. And actions speak louder than words."

There was a moment of silence as Sasuke mulled over Itachi's words, finger twirling in his bangs as he watched the workmate of Itachi's from before tread back into the picture and pass him his poison, observing as he pulled out the triple stick of syrupy mochi dumplings and nibbled into them like they were heaven themselves. When he was able to tear his eyes away from them, Sasuke nodded to him to let him know that his words had been absorbed, no matter how much he disagreed with them. Itachi was wise, and he had always had faith in the bigger picture, when it came to his ideas.

"I have to go now, but remember, he's probably more scared of you than you are of him, okay?"

Sasuke waved, deciding that he needn't reply to that. Their connection ended, leaving him once again alone in his room with the whirring of his laptop, and the quiet snores of Sai in the background. Turning his laptop off and climbing into bed, he traced the main points of the conversation in his head again.

_Scared?_

* * *

Just as he had hoped for, Naruto appeared in Philosophy again. He sat on the adjacent row, and a few seats down, but the fact that he had appeared again was good enough for him. Sasuke doubted that he would have missed his presence if he'd been a student this entire time. He tried to find some balance between focusing on the lecturer's words, and staring at the back of the blonde's head, but found that the majority of the time his attention slipped from the present and his mind became littered with old slithers of 'conversation' he'd had in what seemed like a lifetime ago to him now.

Once again, the class ended, and he allowed Sakura out before him as opposed to having her scramble over him and the seats, although she was still unable to prevent herself from giving a little sniff in Naruto's direction. Sasuke wandered over to him, looming over his seat alone on the empty row with a purposeful watch. Naruto raised his head, followed by a questioning eyebrow as he beckoned for Sasuke to take a step back so that he could stand. Together, the two made their way out of the lecture hall, taking a stroll over the campus for a second time, though now it was at a more leisurely pace, and their destination was directionless, like Naruto was open to being taken anywhere Sasuke could have asked in that moment. Eventually the two took themselves to a lone steel bench, Naruto shuffling back lazily to make himself comfortable and reaching into his pockets as Sasuke took a seat beside him.

His eyebrows hitched incredulously when Naruto pulled a pack of  _hope_  cigarettes from his jeans and lit up in front of him with less than a glance, blowing out a stream of smoke which he couldn't help but curl his nose at. The irony of calling a packet of cancer sticks 'hope' certainly was not lost on him. He idly wondered how long Naruto had been trying to do his lungs in.

He laughed. "I'm surprised you didn't say anything else."

Sasuke glared, but that only made him snicker harder. He threw his hands in the air, leaning forward and resting his head on the arm supported by his left leg. After a moment, Naruto drew his hand from the cigarette, letting it hang from his lips freely as he tapped Sasuke on the shoulder to make sure he was looking, and  _signed_ , a 'sorry' to him.

His breath caught in his throat as he ogled Naruto uncontrollably for a time, a flotilla of thoughts dancing across his mind, but one dominant in particular screaming that Naruto had _signed_ something intelligible, as opposed to his previously mocking 'hand vomiting', as Karin had taken to calling it. More question surfaced. When did he learn? What if that was all he knew? Then, the thought of it being a joke on his behalf seemed a bit far-fetched. For Naruto to learn one sign with the intention of travelling to the other side of the world just to relay it to him sounded as ridiculous as the thought behind it. Which could only mean that Naruto had learnt to communicate in sign with the sole purpose of having conversation with someone who had to be understood in the same way he did.

Hands shaking slightly again, he swallowed, looking Naruto in the eyes questioningly as he gestured. 'Can you sign?'

Naruto watched Sasuke's hands warmly for a moment; his head tilted slightly as he put his cigarette out and pocketed it, before after what seemed like aeons to the mute, raising his hands to reply. 'Yes.'

He could feel a strange heat pooling into his cheeks as his lips swelled with the effort of trying not to smile. He lowered his head, shoulders shaking with a silent chuckle for a moment before his eyes met Naruto's, sparkling with excitement at this newly discovered development between them. 'You idiot.'

'That's the first thing you're going to say to me in sign? You suck.'

'I've always wanted to tell you what I think of your intelligence this way. Let me have my fun.'

Neither could take the bickering to heart, Naruto throwing his head back to give a loud, hearty laugh. But Sasuke hadn't missed his own reflection in his eyes before they'd been closed. His were just as bright, his cheeks flushed and bewildered, animated and terrified, and amused, all at once. He sat back again, waiting for Naruto to calm down enough for their conversation to be continued. Even though people could read him, they tended to speak aloud. There was a silent pleasure in the fact that Naruto chose to use sign then,  _just because he could_.

'When did you start smoking?' Sasuke frowned, Naruto mirroring his expression as his happiness wilted. His eyebrows furrowed as he coughed slightly, eyes narrowing sombrely.

"A while ago."

Sasuke wasn't stupid enough to miss the implied  _after you left_ , behind the sentence. He waited a little, unsure of how to proceed, before he remembered Itachi's words. ' _Instead of him fighting for your attention, maybe it's your turn.'_  His fingers found Naruto's against the space between them on the bench, fingers threading through the space and squeezing as best as he could.  _I'm sorry._

After a moment, Naruto squeezed back, his own fingers tightening against Sasuke's until they meshed together on the cold surface.  _It's okay._

* * *

"Don't look at me like that!" Naruto managed to laugh somewhere in-between a thick slurp of soba noodles. It wasn't ramen, but he wasn't going to turn his nose up at a bowl of noodles any day soon.

Sasuke watched amusedly, putting his chopsticks down so he could sign 'Pig' at him as he lapped up the oily soy-sauce from around his lips with his tongue. They sat under the cover of a noodle stand, the warmth, and the aroma of the broth enticing them away from the glacial streets of Tokyo and their 'not-date'. It was winter-break, and Naruto had been forced (with nothing short of Sasuke sitting on his back and giving him a chinese burn), to confess that he had spent his gap-year raising enough money to travel, shadowing his father's business for some extra money, before his parents decided that he was too miserable as he was and demanded that he take some money free of charge that he could give back at a later date.

He'd been to various places; starting off with other countries around Europe until he went to Asia and worked with a charity in china for a while, where he'd learnt basic sign in a few different languages. Opting to stay around Asia for his studies, he returned to a different University in Japan to study a language, when he'd caught wind of Sasuke's presence in Tokyo not long before he was ready to abandon the chase, and gained a new lustier.

During the winter break, they'd visited Sasuke's new family home in Tokyo, Mikoto and Fugaku stunned, yet jubilant to see that he'd somehow resumed his place in their family. Itachi gave Sasuke a stealthy grin as they sat around the dining table, the two reminiscing about the first time Naruto had crossed Itachi's path and his first question was 'Is this your boyfriend?,' which was still not true. The two had kissed since, a lot, one might say. But they were still nothing official, and neither had sought to change that. Holding hands with Naruto, just being close to him, and able to give in to at least a few of the urges to touch him, was euphoric enough for Sasuke.

Splitting the bill for the food before heading off, the two ambled through the growing piles of snow, noses and cheeks once again turning a reddish hue from the cold, and their breath as visible in the crisp, night air as the fog from Naruto's smoking. He was still in the process of quitting, but Sasuke's disapproval had made him cut down a little, at least. His 'you taste like an ash tray' comment had made him partial to carrying around a pack of mints wherever he went.

"I guess this is as good a time as any…" He heard him mumble, when he began to pull them to the side of the path and under the canopy of a closed café, where the glow from a passing car illuminated Sasuke's face a little as it went by as he squinted slightly in confusion.

"Close your eyes." Naruto commanded, tone as entertained as the cat that got the cream. He waited, one side of his mouth quirked up into a crooked grin, for Sasuke to comply, and when he did, his eyelashes fluttered inquisitively, straining against the urge to peek up at him. A part of him stewed with worry, praying that he wasn't going to do something ridiculous, like jump the gun and pop the question, before he felt something silky snake around his neck, and the pacifying, yet tickling sensation of the material tickling the back of his neck as Naruto tied it into what he assumed was a bow. He gazed down at himself, a piece of crimson, Satin ribbon tied around his throat, a little golden, yet authentic-looking bell threaded to it and pressing gently against his adam's apple. He gave a hard swallow, and it jingled, his attention going back to Naruto as he gave an amused chuckle.

He reached a finger out, making a coaxing motion with his hand as he flicked the bell so that it would jingle again. "I got the idea from your brother, actually. I hear that when you were little they used to tie one around you so that they could hear that you were safe?"

He cocked his head to the side for a moment, torn between biting his head off for trying something so embarrassing, and taking it in good humour. '…I think they just wanted to make me look cute.' He ventured.

A blush flared on Naruto's cheeks as he scratched the back of his head, a nervous laugh falling from his lips. "Yeah, guilty."

* * *

Sasuke shuffled through the apartment door before Naruto, taking his shoes of and smiling as he heard the familiar, high-pitched meow of a young, pure ebony feline. She mewled and curled around his legs, rubbing her scent on him happily and welcoming him into their home. Naruto had had her since she was a kitten, a friend of his giving them away because their cat had been pregnant and birthed 7 kittens. Her name was Sasu, something he'd raised an eyebrow at, although he didn't really know what to make of it. He removed his winter clothes and picked her up, bringing her into the kitchen with him as he sat at a stool on the island table and watched as Naruto raided the cupboard for something to drink.

"You know, I still have that wine we got from your family…" He looked over his shoulder for approval, taking the shrug as an okay as he brought the bottle over to the table to open. "You seem to have lost your buzz from earlier…"

' _You_  haven't.' He flicked the bell purposefully, face feigning exasperation.

"Shut up." He swooped in to kiss Sasuke's nose daringly, pulling back just as soon as he'd come and pouring the red wine into two glasses on the table. Sasu gave a displeased sniff, before leaping off of Sasuke's lap and wandering over to her scratching post to sleep.

Sasuke sipped at the wine, giving Naruto a look when he realised that he'd almost finished his first glass already. He set his down, raising a critical eyebrow. The blonde gave a tense laugh, scratching at his neck as he placed his empty glass down. "That stuff is strong…"

"…"

"What?"

He folded his middle, index and wedding finger, leaving only his thumb and pinky up, and tapped the knuckles against his chin with a concerned face. 'What's wrong?'

Naruto fidgeted, fist reaching for his pocket before he remembered that he was indoors and settled for tapping his fingers against the table instead. "I think we've beat around the bush about this for long enough. What, four years?" He licked his bottom lip, Sasuke's eyes following the pink muscle with shameless interest. "And I want to be with you. Now."

His head perked at the bold statement that cut him like a double-edged sword, eyes searching for any sign of jest, only to be met by Naruto's straight, sincere expression, a cleft in-between his brows as if his face was focusing too hard on portraying the right appearance. His lip twitched with the strain of trying to maintain his serious expression, and his cheeks flushed slightly, whether from embarrassment or intoxication he wasn't sure. He looked cute…He couldn't help but think. He shuffled as far as his butt would allow him off of his stool, dragging a tongue over his own lips before he tugged on a lock of blonde hair, pushing his head forward and pressing their lips together clumsily.

Naruto responded to the kiss eagerly, head slanting to that their noses weren't pressed against each other so awkwardly, lips parting as Sasuke gave a content sigh and melted into the kiss, tongue dragging over his bottom lip as he nibbled and sucked on it, inviting himself into the warm heat of Naruto's mouth and lavishing similar attention on his tongue. He abandoned his place on the stool as Naruto grabbed his hips and ushered him forward, half-falling into his lap so that his knee rest against his thigh, dangerously close to his crotch. Naruto moaned as Sasuke's grip on him tightened desperately, pulling his lips away abruptly to catch his breath and stare at him, bell jingling with his movement as he leaned in again to press kisses to the blonde's neck, sucking at the skin with the clear intention to leave a mark. Naruto massaged his left hip roughly with a thumb and he gasped, biting down extra hard on his neck, rolling his hips and tapping Naruto repeatedly on the shoulder.

"Do you like that?" He whispered, lips ghosting over his ear and nuzzling his face in the crook of his neck. Sasuke nodded rapidly, and he spread his legs as Sasuke's knee pressed against his growing erection, thrusting up shallowly to meet it with a quiet groan as his fingers travelled towards the tent in Sasuke's pants and squeezed. He bit his lip and buried his forehead in Naruto's shoulder, breath coming sharply through his nose as he pushed against Naruto's hand brazenly.

Naruto paused, causing Sasuke to give a frustrated sigh against his neck, to which he chuckled. "Be patient. Shall we take this to the bedroom?" Sasuke kissed his jaw slowly, pulling back and waiting for him to stand, the two making their way through the small apartment, hands linked loosely as their hearts thumped and body parts bumped off of furniture clumsily in their haste.

Too impatient to wait himself, Naruto pressed Sasuke against the wall just shy of his bedroom door, a hand snaking underneath his black jumper to touch his fingertips to his warm, soft stomach, thumb brushing over his bellybutton- an inny to his surprise- before flattening his palm against the pale skin and running it over his ribcage, a smug pleasure filling him and pooling to his groin as Sasuke flinched away with a little gasp, fingers finally tweaking over his nipple. Sasuke's head soared backward, spikes of his hair flattening against the mauve coloured walls as his eyes fluttered closed and his brows furrowed, mouth open in a soundless moan as Naruto shoved his thigh between his legs and rubbed at the hard, clothed flesh repeatedly, unable to stop himself from pressing his hands against the wall and humping Sasuke's leg himself, their hip bones brushing repeatedly when Sasuke began to meet his thrusts.

His other hand shuffled its way underneath the irritating clothing, pulling upward and demanding that Sasuke lift his arms so he could rid him of it. Once Sasuke's torso was bare, he set to take his own shirt off, giving a little moan of approval as Sasuke swatted his hands away and began to do it for him, the two capturing each other in another staring contest that lasted too long, before the two came at each other again with vigour, teeth clashing painfully, yet neither caring as Sasuke was pushed back against the wall.

The mute pushed against Naruto's chest suddenly, head gesturing towards the door and the two managing to prize themselves away from each other long enough to make it through the threshold of Naruto's room, the ache for each other not lessening, but cooling, and time distorting with the sudden lull in activity, so that the two could take the time to appreciate each other more. Their time together before now had been too fleeting. Now, they had all the time in the world. Sasuke seated himself on the edge of the bed, fingers twining in the sheets as he watched Naruto saunter over to him leisurely. He prized Sasuke's legs open, kneeling between them and kissing Sasuke's chin, nose bumping it upward playfully so that he would expose his neck for him to press his lips to. He continued with his kisses, paying careful attention to Sasuke's body movements; how he would flinch away and then draw closer, and how restless his fingers were as he tried to control his breathing. Every now and then he would breathe nonsensical words of reassurance to him, or question him about how it felt. And he'd smile when Sasuke gave him the okay, or enjoyed his nurturing too much to hear the quiet mumble.

Then he mounted Sasuke, pushing him backwards so that he fell softly against the sheets, drawing his flattened tongue against Sasuke's hard nipple, grinding it gently between his teeth and breathing a laugh at the ridiculously violent squirming underneath him, before giving a lick, and a peck of apology at the reddening bump. Suddenly, he was being knocked to the side as their positions changed again, Sasuke above him and eyes filled with want as he gave a mindless grind against him, clearly enjoying his new location. He shuffled backwards on his knees, fingers tugging at Naruto's jeans before he got the hint and assisted him in removing them along with his boxers, Sasuke climbing off of him for a moment before he gestured for him to shuffle up the bed. He did so, clambering backwards against the bed, before throwing his torso back and splaying his arms out, every part of him lax, besides his cock, standing shamelessly at full attention. The tip was red and the head already leaked pre-cum, pleasantly raw from all their grinding. Sasuke crawled over to him, having removed the rest of his own clothes, staring at Naruto as he tonged the slit briefly, lapping up the bitter fluid and the other hissed, suddenly not so relaxed.

He took him into his mouth abruptly, Naruto yelping and bucking his hips up in an attempt to get more of himself into the hot, wet, orifice and whining as Sasuke used one arm to hold him down, tongue flat against the base of his dick as he lowered himself slowly, swallowing and breathing shallowly through his mouth, before pulling back up. He drew his tongue back into his mouth as he gave a hard suck to the head, before beginning a quicker, bobbing motion that had Naruto writhing beneath him and twining his fingers in his soft, black hair in an attempt to push him down further.

"Fuck S-Sasuke, at this rate I'm gonna come…" He groaned harshly, eyes torn between rolling back into his head and watching his dick disappear between Sasuke's pretty pink lips.

At the warning, Sasuke pulled back, an audible pop sounding and the bell chiming loudly at the force he had jerked his head backwards. He crawled closer to Naruto, pushing their cocks together as he nosed at his collarbone and leaned his head upwards for another lazy kiss. Sitting up onto his elbows, Naruto smiled, flicking at the bell and lips pealing back further over his cheeks as he earned a scandalized blush from the owner. "You wanna ride me…?" He asked, sitting up fully as he received a nod, and wrapping his arms around Sasuke's slim waste. The two rocked against each other aimlessly again, Naruto listening contently to the sounds of the bell and the pattern-less breathing tickling at his ear, Sasuke's nails tightening on the skin of his shoulder and back when his breathing turned to moans. Sasuke tapped at his shoulder, drawing his attention again as he pointed to a draw at the side of the bed.

"Yeah, in there. Get the condoms, too." He breathed, sitting back on his hands as Sasuke climbed over to the draw quickly, returning with a tube of lube. He handed Naruto the packet, only half-aware of him rolling it on as he pried the lid off of the tube and squeezed some of the cool liquid into his hands. His fingers reached behind him, probing his entrance as he arched his back so that his ass stuck out, pushing a finger inside of himself.

Naruto gaped, hands pausing on his cock at the sight of him rocking back into his hand slightly, teeth digging into his lip and an almost strained expression on his face as he stretched himself. He couldn't tell if it was from him fingering himself, or the frustration of not being able to cry out in pleasure. It seemed as though Sasuke was experienced in sex from some area, and the thought made him burn with envy at the person who had gotten to be his first. He hoped fervently that they had at least treated him well, although he imagined that Sasuke had held his own pretty well, what with the prideful way he refused any help with preparation and worked a second, then a third finger into himself. He didn't mind, much. The view was excellent, and he waited impatiently for the moment when he could bury himself between those soft, rosy cheeks.

Eventually, Sasuke halted his actions, cheeks flushed and eyes twitching with embarrassment as he remembered that he had an audience. Naruto opened his arms, Sasuke crawling over to wrap himself in them and draping his arms over his shoulders to caress the muscles in his back. He tried to relax as he felt Naruto guiding his cock to his entrance, spine twitching upwards as he felt the head pressing in.

"Relax…" Naruto reminded, eyed closed as he pressed a kiss to his shoulder and tapped on Sasuke's hip, hoping that he would take the signal to lower himself. He did, hips moving in small, slow circles as Naruto continued to fill him until he reached the brink. Sasuke gave little pants against his ear, fingers tracing aimless patterns on his shoulder blades for a moment. Naruto focused on regulating his own breathing, and waited until Sasuke was ready, giving a breath of relief as he finally felt Sasuke move, rising up on his knees and unsheathing himself from Naruto's dick, before sitting back down again. The relaxed motions continued for a while, Sasuke's hands grasping Naruto's shoulders firmly and the other's hands on his waist as they watched one another, but before long, that was no longer enough, the blonde's hands gliding down pale skin and clutching tightly at his hips, raising them up and impaling him faster with a constricted moan, Sasuke throwing his head back and rocking his hips to add more force, mouth hanging open in a tiny 'O', and his breath accelerating again.

Naruto fell back against the pillows again, Sasuke saving himself from joining him as he gripped the headboard till his knuckles turned white, bangs falling into his face and partially sticking with sweat as he gasped out for more air, eyes becoming slits as he forced himself down onto his lover faster, Naruto tugging him down and thrusting up into him as their hips met. His arms grew weak and his toes curled when Naruto changed the angle slightly, giving a gasp that could have almost been mistaken for the pre-cursor to a sob as his thighs tightened around Naruto, bell chiming relentlessly with their heated thrusts. With a renewed force from seemingly nowhere, Naruto sat up again, gently tackling Sasuke so that he fell onto his back, spreading his legs slightly as he began fucking him into the mattress. His head swished wildly, Naruto still hitting the spot constantly and leaving him with no other choice but to give his ghost moans and claw and tap at his arms desperately, begging him to do  _anything_  but stop.

He opened his eyes as he felt Naruto's forehead press against his, kissing both cheeks wetly before moaning his name out in a long, bass tone, nuzzling blindly at his jawline until he reached the skin just underneath his earlobe, mouthing 'I love you' onto the skin, just loud enough so that Sasuke could feel the vibration of the words against his neck, the sound swallowed by their moaning and breathing, and the noise of skin slapping against one another, before biting down hard.

Sasuke bucked hard, wrapping his arms around him as he finally came, cum dousing both of their stomachs, and breath still coming out hard as Naruto gave a few more rough thrusts before joining him in completion; Sasuke holding him tightly while he shuddered violently through his orgasm. His head drooped against the mute's, who gazed back at him with a spent, yet attentive look, his panting slowing ever so slightly.

He pulled back, Sasuke's arm immediately slinging itself over his eyes as he caught back the remainder of his missing breath, pulling it back to blink at him for a moment as he heard the weary call of his name. He beckoned him closer, fighting a smile at the sudden naïve, childlike expression on his face. Like he was scared that his world was about to come crashing down around him with whatever Sasuke chose to do next. He brushed his hand over Naruto's face, swiping his fingertips underneath the sweat-plastered bangs and peeling them from his face as Naruto waited for an answer. Despite his rustled, unsure look, he never failed to look like some sort of celestial being. He trailed his fingers along Naruto's chest, ignoring the clamminess and imagining the place his heart would reside. When Naruto's fingers laced with his own, he gave a small smile, bringing their joined hands to where he could _feel_  his heart thumping in his chest, before he raised his head to Naruto, and gave a wider smile, eyes crinkling knowingly. And then Naruto's fruitless worries crumbled around him and he beamed, swooping down to kiss the one that he could now truly call his  _lover_.

After they cleaned up and lay together in the bed, Naruto once again laying on his back and Sasuke's still bare body pressed against him underneath the covers, Sasuke played with Naruto's limp fingers tiredly, thumb rubbing at the skin, pinching, and tracing circles on it until Naruto pulled back and complained of it tickling. He tapped against Naruto's face, then to his hand, to ask him to watch, as he curled his wedding and middle finger down, bumping his nose against Naruto's chin.  _'I love you.'_

Naruto mimicked the action, pressing their mirrored hands together, before he forced his fingers underneath Sasuke's folded ones and laced them together.  _'I love you too.'_

And then he was listening to the thrum of their hearts beating beside each other, two halves of a whole together as they should have been a long time ago. He smiled, nuzzling his face into Sasuke's neck and chuckling to himself as the half-asleep man jostled in his lucid slumber and the bell around his neck resonated again, before he fell asleep.

Sasuke made plenty of noises, he realised. Perhaps there were still some that he had yet to hear. But he only had to watch his face, captured in sleep, and feel, rather than see the rise and fall of his chest, to know that none of them would ever be quite as special as his silence. No amount of sign could unpick him when he didn't want to be, and with that, came a language that was all their own. To brave together, for as long as they needed.


End file.
